Pearl River County, Mississippi
Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 55,834 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Poplarville. The Picayune Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Pearl River County. Hurricane Katrina On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on many families and structures in the county. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.07%) is land and (or 0.93%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 59 * U.S. Highway 11 * Mississippi Highway 13 * Mississippi Highway 26 * Mississippi Highway 43 * Mississippi Highway 53 Adjacent counties *Lamar County (north) *Forrest County (northeast) *Stone County (east) *Hancock County (south) *St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana (southwest) *Washington Parish, Louisiana (west) *Marion County (northwest) National protected areas *Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge (part) *De Soto National Forest (part) Demographics The census estimates of 2006 place the county population over 57,000 and place it among the 10 fastest growing counties in the U.S. As of the census of 2000, there were 48,621 people, 18,078 households, and 13,576 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 20,610 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.55% White, 12.18% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 18,078 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,912, and the median income for a family was $35,924. Males had a median income of $30,370 versus $21,519 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,160. About 15.50% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over. Communities *'Cities' **Lumberton (mostly in Lamar County) **Picayune **Poplarville *'Unincorporated places' **Caesar **Carriere **Crossroads **Henleyfield **McNeil **Nicholson **Ozona See also *Dry counties *National Register of Historic Places listings in Pearl River County, Mississippi References Category:Counties of Mississippi Category:Pearl River County, Mississippi